Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and TechnologyDepartment of Engineering & Innovation

Lighting up Africa – and not one house at a time!

Research ProjectChris Moller, October 2015

Chris.moller@open.ac.uk, T.01954 253900

Two approaches:

In urban areas, solve the blight of electricity rationingRationing is very

widespread in Africa, where generating capacity lags far behind demand

In rural areas, make standalone minigrids more affordable

Photo: Azuri Technologies

The Central IdeaWhen electricity is plentiful, provide the full 220-

240VoltsWhen electricity is short, don’t black out everyone

completely – provide a very low voltage (say 20VAC)Electricity consumption will be reduced by 99%Of course, large motorised appliances won’t work at 20VAC, but

they won’t be damaged, eitherThe lights will stay on! It is possible to make LED lamps that

give out the same amount of light, regardless of whether they have 20V or 240V to run from

Prototype LED Lamp

Rural implementationA solar-powered minigrid with a 4amp feed to each

of 10 houses will provide:1kW per household during the day, at 240VAC80W per household at night, at 20VAC

Without this scheme, it would need 120kWh of batteries – costing £10K every 5 years

With this scheme, this reduces to 9.6kWh, ie £800 every 5yrs

Urban implementationMost substation transformers have a 20VAC tapping, so

implementation by the electricity company is straightforward

They reduce their electricity demand by 99%Anyone who has bought universal LED lamps will

continue to enjoy lighting during power cutsNo technical skill is required from the consumer – beyond

changing a lightbulbSelf-financing, as we expect users will pay a premium for

light bulbs that stay on during power cuts

TimescalesIt will take years to

build more power stations

The need is more urgent than that

If we had quantities of universal lamps, this scheme could be implemented tomorrow

Photo: PeaceOnline.com

Protests against electricity rationing on the streets of Accra, Ghana, February 2015

Next stepsTeam up with someone who can sell the idea to the decision-

makersGo to China to buy some lamps – they may do the production

design.There is a price war on LED lampsThis provides a manufacturer with an opportunity to add value,

instead of lowering priceRaise funding for in-country urban and rural pilots

Solar minigrids with reduced batteriesLow-voltage grid power rationing